- Then the lights flickered and then… what? - O asked.
- We went down, inspected and we discovered the incapacitated operatives. - Jack explained.
- Then we went to the lab and confirmed that someone had activated the portal. - Maddie concluded.
- And you didn't see anyone?
- No.
- What about the security cameras?
- You deactivated them when you broke into our house. - Maddie crossed her arms.
- What about the lab?
- There are no cameras in the lab. - Jack replied.
O took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. That day was getting worse and worse. But at least now they had a lead thanks to the biometric reader on the portal's control panel. That limited the list of suspects to just the Fentons, and if the awakening operatives corroborated that story, there was only one person capable of opening the portal without being seen.
- Alright. – He said after a while. – Close the portal and we…
- No! - Maddie yelled. – I mean… don't you think it would be better to leave it open?
- Why?
- Because… whoever entered must come out from there.
- That's… not a bad idea. – He turned around to talk to the operatives. – Secure the lab and wait there, our primary target may be responsible and could exit through the portal again. Remember, we need him alive for questioning.
- Danny is not responsible for what happened to…
- We know. – O said turning to see them. – But the situation has evolved beyond our control, so we need… Danny Phantom's cooperation.
Making no further statements, O turned and went back out. After a few seconds, the Fentons went upstairs to the emergency ops center, where they had hidden the Red Huntress. When they arrived, they closed all the accesses and activated the soundproofing of the room. They ran into the curious sight of the girl, who had managed to untie herself from the chair where she was and was not wearing her helmet.
- I guess this runs in the family. - She said, throwing at their feet the rope with which they had tied her.
- Valerie… - Maddie began. - What's going on?
- I'm leaving.
- The Guys in White are all over the house. You won't be able to get out. – Jack clarified.
- I'll see what I do.
- Valerie… please. - Maddie paused. – Tell us what's going on. Who attacked Danny? Why aren't they looking for him anymore? What does Vlad have to do with all this?
- I don't have answers to all of your questions.
- Then... please answer the ones to which you do have answers. - Jack implored.
Valerie sighed in frustration. She needed to go back to Paulina's house and make those two suffer. Although she respected the Fentons, she didn't owe them anything, so she felt that staying and explaining everything to them was not her responsibility.
- No.
The Fentons were surprised when Valerie walked between them and went directly to the door that led down. However, just as Maddie was about to speak, the door opened and K stuck his head in. Even with glasses, he couldn't hide his surprise at discovering the Red Huntress hidden in the operations center. And even more, that she was so young.
- Downstairs. Now. All of you.
K went downstairs and closed the door. Valerie closed her eyes in frustration. "There goes my secret identity. Again." She thought trying to hide her annoyance from them.
- Was… that blood? – Jack whispered as he remembered the red stains on the typically white suit of the operative.
- Leave me alone! – He yelled as he avoided the missiles that were going in his direction.
He phased through a floating rock with his intangibility and managed to avoid the attacks, but as he was about to flee, a web of electrified ectoplasm trapped him. He cried out in pain, and weakly, looked up at his captor.
- You gave me a lot of trouble… but the reward for catching you will be worth it.
- But I haven't done anything! – The ghost defended himself. – Tell Walker that…
- I'm not doing this for Walker, dumbass. – The hunter replied with a smile.
- Don't you ever get tired of being a bully, Skulker?
Behind them both a third ghost appeared with folded arms and a serious face. Or as serious as he could be.
- Get lost, Sydney. This is none of your business. – He said pulling the net and hanging it on his shoulder.
- There are more important things happening now and yet you prefer to continue as a mercenary. – He said putting his arms around his waist.
Skulker flew over to him and grabbed his collar with his free hand, pressing him against his metal face.
- You don't even know what's happening in the ghost zone, idiot. And until I know it, I will continue doing the usual. – He said releasing him.
Sidney Poindexter looked at the hunter in surprise.
- Have you also noticed?
- We can all feel it, Sidney. – The third ghost explained from within the net where he was trapped.
- Be quiet! – Skulker silenced him by waving the net.
- Then you know that this is not the time to turn your back on your kind, Skulker. Let him go.
- I have a better idea. – He answered smiling.
Sidney raised an eyebrow just before Skulker extended his arm to him. From his wrist came a small cannon that fired a laser straight into the chest of the black and white ghost, who flew away with a cry of pain. Skulker laughed, unaware that his prey was concentrating energy to, seconds later, release it and break the net that held him prisoner. He flew at full speed with the intention of running away from that place and getting to safety, but Skulker threw 3 small blue energy cubes in his direction. He dodged the first 2, but the third managed to hit him in the back and suddenly, he found himself captured inside the small cube before being electrocuted into unconsciousness.
The hunter took the cube with his right hand and brought it closer to his face to see it up close. He smiled at the sight of his captured payday, and with several hours to spare.
They were all sitting in the room, not knowing what they were waiting for. Valerie could feel her irritation growing with every second she wasted there, surrounded by these losers. The Fentons, by contrast, were somewhat concerned. The blood on the suit of that operative in front of them was still fresh, so something really bad was happening. Especially if they weren't yelling at them like a couple of hours ago.
Some noises outside the house caught everyone's attention and seconds later the door opened, showing the Masters' Blasters being pushed inside the house. Valerie raised an eyebrow at the exchange between them and the Guys in White.
- Let us go, you government pigs! - Trash yelled.
O walked in front of him and gave him 2 slaps to shut him up, one on each cheek.
- You are also from the government, idiot.
His teammates were clearly angry, but they didn't have time to claim anything, because the operatives threw them to the floor in the room where everyone else was. As soon as they laid eyes on Jack, their anger increased.
- You! – Vid shouted. – This is all your fault, you fat idiot!
- Hey! I may be fat, but not an idiot. - Jack defended himself.
- Your family is responsible for all this! Not to mention your "best friend".
- And my "best friend" is your boss, so I don't see how it's my fault.
Valerie smiled at the cheap entertainment she was receiving. "At least the wait was not in vain." Her smiled widened as they continued to insult the Fentons with the words she had in mind but she didn't dare say out loud. Her fun was cut short when the operatives placed loaded weapons on the heads of the 4 who were arguing, forcing them to take their seats.
- Everybody shut up and listen. – K spoke seriously. – We have a bigger problem than your personal conflicts.
- Shouldn't your suit be white? – Vid asked ironically. – What? Do you no longer care about your precious protocols?
K ignored her and played a security video on the television where two Guys in White could be seen from behind. The Fentons were the only ones who showed any interest in the video, while the others just wondered what that had to do with them. Their bored expressions and carefree postures changed in seconds when they observed a ghost appear. Thanks to the improved audio quality, they were able to follow the context of the conversation.
- But you're not so lucky.
Everyone tensed at the sight of the bloodbath on the screen, while K studied their reactions. He paused the video just as the ghost made eye contact with the camera and his face was as clear as possible.
- That. – He pointed to the screen. – He is our problem from now on.
- Our? I get that he killed one of your own, but what does that have to do with us? – The third member of the Masters' Blasters asked
K just resumed playing the video and everyone was shocked when he showed all of his transformations to the camera.
- Why does he want the heads of those 2? Wouldn't that be counterproductive for him? I mean, he's the combination of both.
- That's why we can't give them to him. – O commented. – Those two could be our best weapons against him.
- I don't understand. - Maddie sighed, her mind was a mess. – Ghosts don't kill. It is not in their nature.
- Feel free to explain that, Mrs. Fenton.
Valerie was completely silent. The story she had been told finally made some sense, but there were things she still couldn't comprehend. She internally debated whether she should share the information she had. Before, she had no reason to help Danny and Vlad, but with this threat to the civilian population, she needed to do something, because her father could be part of those first thousand victims.
- His name is Dan. - She finally spoke.
All the gazes fell on her, attentive to what she was saying.
- How do you know? - O asked.
- The same way I got here. – She said looking at the Fentons. – I was kidnapped by Vlad, Danny and the others.
- Our Danny would never do something like that. – Jack intervened, but he was ignored by everyone.
- Why? – Vid asked.
- They wanted something from me… from my weapons. Something to heal after the beating they got downtown.
- Do you remember where they held you? - K approached her.
She debated for a few seconds if she should tell them about Paulina's involvement in the whole thing and expose them.
- No. - She answered. – They knocked me out and the next thing I remember was waking up in a chair and seeing them tearing apart my weapons.
O passed his hand over his head and sighed.
- What else do you know?
- He is… they said something about an alternate timeline, that he was a combination of both and that it existed outside of time. I really didn't believe that was true, but… - She pointed to the screen, where the ghost's current form was displayed. – They mentioned that he was the only ghost who dared to kill. That he wanted to destroy the city and that he had unlimited power after…
- He got the crown and ring. – K completed for her. – Our expert mentioned the same when looking at the photos.
-Yes... but what he omitted to tell you is that he also assimilated the ghost king.
- Pariah Dark? - Maddie asked.
- That's what they told me. – She looked away toward the screen again. – I guess that's why he looks like that. You know, the armor and the horn...
- So… on a power scale, he breaks the scale? - Trash asked.
- What happened 7 years ago was terrible, but this... could be much worse. – Jack commented seriously.
The room fell silent as everyone realized the gravity of the situation.
- Danny! – Maddie exclaimed standing up.
- Darling, what's wrong?
- Don't you get it, Jack? - She said anguished. – The ghost that attacked Danny days ago, what they did with the lab… the ectoskeleton! That's why they were so insistent that we should rebuild it!
- They knew... - Jack concluded.
- Not just them. - Valerie added. – Vlad's lab was destroyed a couple of days ago. The whole place was torn apart.
- Lab? – K Asked. - Well, if the Fentons have one, it makes sense that he does too.
- So that's why Vlad fled. - Download whispered.
- What are you taking about? - Jack asked.
- After the inauguration of the cultural center, he traveled to Wisconsin for an incident that involved his mansion.
- It was probably just an excuse to get out of the city in the middle of the chaos. – Vid said.
- You said you got here thanks to Vlad. – O commented looking at Valerie. - What really happened?
Valerie shrugged her shoulders and pointed at the Fentons. Jack sighed when he knew that he would have to explain what had happened. She took her wife's hand and sat her down next to him.
- What we told you was the truth. But we omitted to say that we found her when we went down to her lab. - He hugged Maddie. – She was possessed by Vlad and she attacked us, he forced me to open the portal so he could enter.
- So, it wasn't the ghost boy who activated it. – Jack lowered his face at O's comment.
- Why do that? – Trash asked the crowd. – I mean, we have to assume that this… Dan, is somewhere in the ghost zone. Why go where your enemy is?
- He… - Maddie spoke. - Said something. He said that he… would do what Danny didn't dare to do.
- And that is…?
- Negotiate. - Valerie said. – Dan also gave them an ultimatum. They had to hand over a ghost in 24 hours.
- What ghost? - Jack asked.
- Um… - The brunette tried to remember. – Clockwork… I think that was the name they said.
Both Fentons scrambled to their feet.
- That's bad.
Against all odds, Vlad's clone managed to make it safely to the entrance of his lab in Wisconsin. He sighed quietly as soon as he crossed the portal and quickly closed it. He activated the monitoring cameras and discovered that, up in his mansion, there were still policemen keeping a strict watch on the property, along with some guys in White. He typed commands into his computer to activate the silent alarm in the lab in case someone got too close to the entrance.
He then set about gathering all the weapons he could carry with him and stuffing them into a small scouting vehicle he had designed. He entered the vehicle and entered the route to the Fenton's portal. He got out of the vehicle and remotely activated it. In a matter of seconds, the vehicle disappeared inside the ghost zone.
Now he only had to wait.
Hours had passed since what happened with Vlad and Valerie's escape. At Paulina's house, things were still the same: Vlad hadn't shared what he had done or what his plan was, and they still didn't know what to do about Dan. The 3 halfas had taken advantage of the time to sleep and regain some strength in case Dan didn't respect the deadline he had imposed on them.
Downstairs, the 4 civilians were sitting in the room without much to do. Tucker and Sam were a little tired and were sleeping in the living room. Jazz had offered to be a guardian to watch over Vlad while the others rested and Paulina continued to monitor the situation on television and the internet from the kitchen of her house and kept in touch with Star. Comments in which Star praised her good judgment in selecting men aside, her friend had been a great source of information. She had shared the only good news they had, which was the leak of a video that proved their innocence regarding the explosion of the Guys in White facilities. The bad news was that they were now wanted for damage to private property and public thoroughfare due to the havoc they caused during their grand escape.
She had also informed her that the state was investigating all individuals with close relationships to the 5 involved, so she was out of danger. Which suited them if they kept hiding in her house. She looked at the time in the upper right corner of the tablet. It was barely 9:22 and she was already tired. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before standing up. She put on the coffee pot and when she was ready, she poured two cups. With one in hand, she climbed the stairs and entered the main room.
Jazz was sitting in a chair near the door fighting not to fall asleep. When she heard the door open, she turned to find a fresh cup of coffee in front of her. She silently thanked her for her gesture and took the cup. She inhaled the aroma of the coffee and felt how little by little her senses became active again. She took a sip of the drink and smiled at the good taste.
- Any news over there? - Jazz asked.
- Well… your charges went from domestic terrorism to damage to public thoroughfare. – She took a sip of her coffee. - Other than that, nothing new.
- Really? – She said surprised. - How?
- There is a video that shows that Danny arrived at the site after the explosion.
- Wow. I thought people would turn against us.
- Why should they? Danny is a hero. Any criticism he's receiving is not because of what he's done, but thanks to Mayor Masters. – She pointed to the man who was sleeping in front of them.
- Is that why you are helping us? - Jazz asked with genuine curiosity.
Paulina looked at the cup in her hands trying to figure out the answer to that question. She was sure it wasn't because of her crush on Danny Fenton, or her infatuation with Danny Phantom. It was simply because...
- I want to do the right thing. - She said and then took a sip of coffee.
Jazz considered the answer for a few seconds before giving her a weak smile.
- You know… - She said smiling. – You really have changed.
Paulina sat on the floor, leaning against the wall.
- Yeah, well… I learned the hard way. - She said while she caressed her nose.
Jazz raised an eyebrow, but decided to drop the subject in peace.
- So, do you have a plan? – Paulina asked after a few moments.
- No. - She said.
- And they still plan to fight against him? - The concern was evident in her tone of voice. – If they do… they could die. – She whispered the last thing.
- The way things are right now, it seems that we only have two options: we either die doing nothing or we die trying to pull a miracle. – She said trying to be optimistic, then she added. - We're good at the latter.
- I still find it hard to believe you've been doing this for years.
- You and me both. – She answered her with a smile.
- Would you mind letting me sleep in peace? – Vlad said hoarsely.
They both looked at the mayor, who hadn't moved from his position, but had clearly woken up. They both stood up and left the room to continue talking.
Vlad's clone was making an effort not to disintegrate due to the great distance between him and the original, and the probable unconsciousness of the original. He kept waiting for some sign of activity to set his plan in motion. The vehicle was in position a few feet from the Fenton Portal and he had a hunch of Dan's probable location, but something was missing.
A small green blob on his ghost zone radar interrupted his musings and alerted him. He filled his right fist with energy and hid it behind his back, maintaining a calm posture on the outside. Seconds later, he dissipated the energy as he watched Skulker walk through the portal.
- You took your time. - He said bitterly.
Skulker raised an eyebrow.
- I still have hours to spare. If you want, I can come back when my deadline is up. – He crossed his arms.
- Your target was simple. – He said walking towards him.
- Capturing him was not a problem. – From his armor came a small cube that fell to the floor, which increased in size until it became big. – Finding him… that was another story.
Vlad walked over to the cube. Inside was the ghost he needed, unconscious and in suspended animation. He smirked and turned to see the hunter.
- My pay? – Skulker analyzed the laboratory in search of his armor, but found nothing.
- Right here.
Vlad walked to within a meter of Skulker and held out his left hand to him. The hunter looked down at the hand of his contractor and found a thermos in his abdomen. Before he could react, Vlad pushed the button and Skulker's body began to be sucked inside.
- Son of a…!
Before being sucked in completely, he managed to eject himself out of his armor and the little ghost flew back towards the portal before being sucked in as well. Vlad saw him run away, but he gave the ghost little thought. "There are worse things than Skulker." He thought.
He walked over to his computer and began searching through all the images in his files until he found the one he needed. He then returned his attention to the one-by-one meter cube and deactivated it, placing the ghost on his examining table. He had to act fast.
The Masters' Blasters were working together with Jack to finish the last modifications to the Fenton specter speeder. O was uploading the latest updates to the vehicle's software to make it compatible with the newly integrated weaponry. Maddie and Valerie had traveled to Axion Labs along with some Guys in White to coordinate with the CEO and ensure the city's protection. They had removed the ghost shield from the Fenton van and would use the power of the lab to expand the range and, along with the Fentons' shield, cover the entire city.
The rest of the Guys in White were moving the GB-01 missile to the Fenton household, which had been placed in permanent storage after their failed attempt to destroy the ghost Zone years before. The huge amount of movement from all of them was raising suspicions in the population, who sensed that something was happening that they weren't saying. Something big.
K, for his part, had refused to change his suit, and appeared like that before the television cameras. It was certainly an effective way of attracting attention, in addition to increasing the level of alertness of the population regarding the highly sensitive issue that was about to be addressed.
Valerie's father had joined the team of engineers who were adapting the shield in Axion Labs, although he constantly turned to look at his daughter. She had arrived with Mrs. Fenton and other operatives without her mask, which told him this was something big and important. He had wanted to talk to her ever since she arrived, but she constantly avoided him, telling him that he was needed elsewhere more.
The plan was simple, shoot Dan with the ghost equivalent of a nuke and hope he didn't get a counterattack. Easier said than done.
Sidney was prowling the ghost zone looking for Skulker and was surprised when he saw his real ghost form flying in the opposite direction of him. He hid to avoid being seen while he analyzed the scenarios where Skulker ended up being the victim of someone capable of taking his armor away, because it was a great achievement to be able to do that. He set out to chase the little ghost when he noticed that a peculiar ghost was coming from the same point where the hunter had left, only he was flying towards another route.
"Plasmius". He thought as he recognized the ghost. He decided to follow him at a distance so as not to be recognized. He was one of the ghosts capable of defeating the hunter like that. He turned invisible and followed him to the Ghost King's Castle. His concern increased when he discovered that the island was now more destroyed than before, as everything around it was. If he were still alive, his pulse would probably race with the growing sense of unease taking over him. Nothing good ever came out of that place.
He noticed that Vlad had something hanging from his waist. From a distance they looked like a pair of gloves, but he couldn't be so sure. He got a little closer, but was forced to hide behind a piece of debris floating around when he saw the Fright Knight fly towards Vlad.
- You shouldn't be here! – The knight whispered violently, allowing Sidney to hear their whole conversation.
- I don't plan on staying long. – He replied.
- We had a deal! Why didn't you keep your part?
- It's not like he gave me a choice!
Poindexter paid more attention to the conversation. "Deal? What were those two talking about? Who were those two talking about?"
- You have to go before he discovers you.
- So, he's at home?
- He'll kill you before...
- Not if you introduce me.
If Poindexter weren't in black and white, the pallor on his face would be evident. That place was home to only 2 ghosts, and one of them was preventing Plasmius from entering. "It can't be, it must be a joke." Sidney watched both ghosts flying into the castle and couldn't help but panic at the possibility that the king had returned. He growled angrily at himself before going after those 2.
Inside the castle, he was shocked at the destruction visible in every corner of the hall. He was going to continue exploring when the voice of the Fright Knight alerted him again.
- My… Lord. – He said in a low voice.
Sidney peeked through a hole and saw the aforementioned walking towards the throne, where someone was sitting. Someone who wasn't Pariah Dark.
- I'm your king. – The voice resounded throughout the room. - Do you need me to remind you?
- Someone came to see you. He says that he has something for you.
Dan raised an eyebrow and the Fright Knight stepped aside, showing Vlad into the throne room. The king rose to his feet and walked down the throne steps to the ground level, where he waited for Vlad to move closer to him. Dan smiled and folded his hands behind his back.
- Well, well, well... To what do I owe... such an honor?
Vlad puffed out his chest and walked slowly towards him. Something that Sidney noticed is that he was no longer carrying the gloves.
- Well… you made demands, didn't you? – He stopped about 4 meters away from Dan.
- And you came to fulfill them? – He said funny. – You move really fast.
- I came with a counter offer.
Dan became serious and looked him straight in the eyes for a few seconds.
- You do?
Dan took a step toward him and Vlad took a step back. He smiled.
- If you want Clockwork, you will have to give me something in return.
Dan's sadistic laughter echoed through the room, further disturbing Sidney.
- I don't know what is worse: your stupidity or your arrogance. – He took another step. – Look at you, trying to fool yourself… I don't know if you are overestimating your abilities or underestimating my reasoning.
Vlad started to back away as Dan continued to move towards him.
- I'm serious! – He took out something that he had hidden and held it in his hand. – You will listen to me or I swear I'll let him go!
Dan stopped when he saw that Vlad had a blue cube in his hand. He squinted to see better and noticed the adult Clockwork figure inside the cube in suspended animation.
- I'm not surprised that you betrayed Daniel, but I figured he'd watch you better to prevent you from doing it. I guess I was wrong.
- I'll take that as an "I'm listening."
- Take it as you like. – He said raising his shoulders. - I don't have to obey you.
- And why did you expect that from me? – He said picking up his hand and stepping back.
- As self-centered and narcissistic as you are, I assumed you valued your life. – He joked.
- Oh. - Vlad smiled. - So, you plan to let me live?
Dan laughed.
- Not at all. But a roach like you would do almost anything to save his skin. So, tell me… entertain me: what do you want? 24-hour advantage over Daniel? A painless death? You want me to turn you into a martyr? You wanna die a hero?
Vlad was momentarily distracted by the words, so he didn't notice Dan approaching him. The Fright Knight also took the opportunity to leave them alone.
- You'd be surprised what this cockroach can do. – He smiled, trying to prevent his nerves from betraying him. – I did not come to plead for myself.
- You didn't? – He said surprised.
Steeling himself with courage that he didn't have, Vlad spoke.
- The girl. – He paused briefly. – Spare the life of the girl and Clockwork is yours.
Dan looked at him with a smile on his face before laughing.
- Don't you think she's too young for you? – He analyzed Vlad's serious face while still being amused. – Oh… she's not a distant cousin, is she?
- You have to swear you won't touch any hair…
- You sound like a jealous father. – He kept silent to gauge Vlad's reaction and smiled when he noticed the mayor's slight anger. – Tell me… what did you have to do to be able to have her?
- Swear it!
- Did you clone Daniel? – He asked amused. – You cloned Daniel. That's a whole new level of low, even for you.
- Fine! I suppose you are not interested in your precious prize.
- You say it as if giving you my word would make you hand over Clockwork to me peacefully.
- Do you doubt my word? – He yelled at him.
- I'm you too, idiot.
- I'm not lying!
- Then why did you send a clone to attack me from behind?
Without realizing it, Dan had closed the distance between them, remaining a scant meter from him. Vlad's plan went to hell, and with no other options, he sighed before attacking him with an ectoplasm beam.
Dan dodged to the side to avoid him and began to throw balls of white fire at him from his hand, which Vlad dodged with great effort. The clone became visible and charged at the king with the gloves Sidney had seen. Dan turned and pointed the ring at the clone, from which came a bolt of lightning that destroyed the attacker.
The two gloves fell limp to the ground and he returned his attention to the "original" who closed all distance between them and punched him square in the jaw. Grinding his neck, Dan lowered his head, overcoming the force of Vlad's fist, and regarded him with a smile. He stretched out his left hand and grabbed his neck, squeezing him and enjoying the adult's desperation.
Vlad started punching at Dan's hand and trying to wriggle out of the hold, trying to open Dan's hand to free himself, but to no avail. The king smashed him to the ground and when he was about to shoot into his face with his eyes, Vlad pulled out the blue box and threw it hard towards the throne. On the way, the box fell apart and released the ghost from its confinement.
Dan looked at what was happening and, thanks to the rolling on the, Clockwork woke up from his unconsciousness.
- Go!
Dan quickly turned to Vlad, who punched him and knocked the crown off his head. Dan filled the hand on his neck with energy and Vlad's body disappeared. "A clone." His features hardening at being fooled, he moved quickly to pick up the crown from the ground and chase after Clockwork. The aforementioned was still experiencing a bit of torpor after being in suspended animation, but he managed to escape through a hole in the castle roof. He sped up to flee, but Dan's body projected on a colossal scale and with a swipe, he sent the ghost to the ground.
Sore and numb, he couldn't move until he saw Dan, now his normal size, plummeting toward him. He rolled to his left just in time to avoid being hit by both of Dan's feet, who ended up making a crater in the ground from the force with which he had landed. When he saw his prey try to flee, he threw a bolt of lightning at him with the ring, but Clockwork managed to dodge it by creating a hole in his chest for the attack to pass through him. However, when he tried to run away again, Dan grabbed his tail and repeatedly slammed him to the ground, before placing his foot on his chest and pinning him.
- Your time is over. – He smiled and extended his hand, materializing the sword and covering it with white flames.
- Wait! I am not him! I am not him!
Faced with the terror that he was experiencing; he had no choice but to transform and close his eyes tightly and cover himself with his arms. He did not know the identity of the ghost that was attacking him, but he only had the hope that he would release him when he saw that it was not who he was looking for.
Dan stopped the sword mere inches from the ghost's head. His face broke into a gesture of anger and bewilderment. Although that ghost was not lying when he said that he was not Clockwork, he had no idea of his identity.
Not feeling the sword pierce him, he opened one eye to see his attacker and sighed with relief when he saw the sword in his hands disappear. He saw him straighten up and look down at him with contempt, as if he expected an explanation. To show his good intentions, he raised both hands and held them in front of him in a gesture of peace.
- Explain yourself. - Dan demanded.
- I… - He didn't know what he had to say, so he decided to tell her the whole story. – My name is Amorpho. I… Skulker recently captured me and handed me over to that vampire ghost. He…he showed me a picture and told me that I should take his form.
Dan closed his eyes in anger. The cheesehead had tricked him.
- Your ability… - He began.
- It's shapeshifting. Look.
Amorpho took on Clockwork's previous form, later changing into a 14-year-old Danny Phantom and ending up with Dan's current form. The latter did not please the king very much.
- I had no idea what he wanted to do… but he threatened to destroy me if I didn't. – He returned to his normal form. - It was never my intention to deceive you...
Dan's face turned serious before he raised an eyebrow and spoke.
- Good. I guess I can't blame you for being a victim of Plasmius's schemes. – He removed his foot from Amorpho's chest and the gray ghost sighed in relief. – But you acted in open rebellion against your king…
- What? - The panic slowly began to return, causing him to slowly crawl back.
- And I can't overlook that kind of insubordination... don't you think? - He said walking and getting up to him, stepping on Amorpho's hand.
- But… - He tried to free his hand, but Dan stepped on him harder.
- What kind of king would let such transgression go unpunished? - He asked, enjoying the anguish that his victim exuded.
- A mer-merciful one?
Dan put a hand to his chin, pretending to think about that answer for a few seconds.
- No. A weak one. - He turned to look at him seriously. – Do I seem weak to you?
Dan crushed Amorpho's other hand with his foot, who only suppressed a cry of pain.
- You see, mercy requires a violent precedent to exist. - He said, bending down and resting both hands on his knees. – If offenses are never punished, forgiveness would not be an act of greatness, but of cowardice.
- What about your offenses? – He asked with fear.
- A king makes the rules... he doesn't abide by them. – He smiled and his hands filled with energy. – But don't worry… I'll consider being merciful to the next one who dares to challenge me.
Amorpho was paralyzed for a few seconds by the sadistic smile of the ghost who proclaimed himself king. And then, he felt the worst pain of his entire existence. Dan buried both hands in his body and began to release all of his energy into him.
Sidney stared in horror into the distance as Amorpho's body jerked violently, his screams echoing in the void of Pariah Dark's domain. Bubbles appeared along Amorpho's body, and seconds later, an explosion released green ectoplasm in all directions. And with it, the screaming stopped.
Sidney's body began to tremble and he backed away little by little, trying not to do anything that would draw that monster's attention. The last thing he saw before fleeing the scene was a smiling Dan turning intangible to cleanse himself of the remains of what once was a relatively good ghost.
Vlad's eyes opened as he felt a small portion of energy return to his body. Very cautiously, he turned to see if he was alone in the room. When he confirmed it, he stood up and walked to the window, waiting to see if his plan had worked.
Meanwhile at the Fenton house, Jack was working on the specter speeder's internal controls when the radar on the dash caught his attention.
Real world object detected.
He narrowed his eyes and observed that little by little, the object was getting closer to the speeder. He stopped what he was doing and got out of the vehicle, heading towards the portal. Jack's strange behavior caught the attention of O.
- What's going on?
Jack turned to look at him and soon everyone in the lab was looking at him curiously.
- The speeder. - He pointed at her with his thumb. - It says something is coming.
Everyone present looked at each other before starting to arm themselves and point towards the portal.
- Get out of there, idiot! - Vid yelled at him. – If a ghost…
- It's not a ghost. – Jack said seriously, without moving. – It is an object of our world.
Against the advice of the Guys in White and the scolding of the Masters' Blasters, Jack stood his ground in front of the portal, until a small unmanned ship slowly passed through the portal. He stepped to the side so that the entire vehicle was inside the lab. They all lowered their weapons and eyed the vehicle curiously as Jack inspected it closely. It was a high-quality vehicle, made for a single crew member and with state-of-the-art technology. It definitely did not belong to the Guys in White.
- Vlad. – He whispered.
Jack opened the door and found many weapons of various sizes, but what caught his attention was a small circular tabletop that rested on top of all the weapons. He reached for it and stepped away from the vehicle for the others to inspect. It looked like a tracker of some kind and only had a switch to change from "Real World" to "Ghost Zone". Since the screen was dark, he turned it over and came across a small note. The handwriting matched his friend's handwriting, so he read it. His curious face changed to a serious one and he turned the object around and flicked the switch. A purple dot appeared on the screen and Jack panicked.
He ran to the communications center with Axion, pushing Download to the ground on the way.
- Maddie! Do you copy me? – He waited a few seconds. - Maddie!
- I hear you loud and clear, Jack. Something happened?
- Have you finished adapting the shield? – He said anxiously.
- Yes, why?
- Activate it! – He turned to see the operative who was closest to the lab panel. - You! Activate the shield!
- Fenton, what the hell is wrong with you? – O said approaching him.
- This is what's wrong! – He almost crashed the locator into O's face. - Now activate the shields!
O took the object from her hands and raised an eyebrow.
- A dot?
- Not that! – He said turning it around. - This!
O peeled off the note and read it mentally. He then returned his gaze to the device and seconded Jack screaming orders. It was done as they both ordered and seconds later, a blue glow covered the Amity Park night sky before disappearing. O exchanged glances with Jack and they just nodded. His eyes fell back on the note in his hand:
Activate the shield if you get a reading. The dot means I located Dan.